


"Just Byleth"

by Zalakbian



Series: Mari's Edeleth Series [9]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Agender Character, Byleth realizes she doesn't care about gender, F/F, Trans Female Character, Trans!Ferdinand, talking over tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23243845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zalakbian/pseuds/Zalakbian
Summary: Byleth and Freya have a chat about identity over tea.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Mari's Edeleth Series [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1515083
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56





	"Just Byleth"

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I had mulling around in my head for a bit, I like doing shorter fics in between longer chapters of other works.
> 
> If you like this, please consider joining to talk about it on the [Edeleth Discord Server](https://discord.gg/m2AVbJ3) I run! You can also [follow me on Twitter!](https://twitter.com/MariMari07_01)

“Hey Freya, can I ask you something?”

“Mmm?” Freya looked up from her teacup to the Professor eyeballing her inquisitively across the table. “Sure, Prof- er, your Majesty, go ahead!”

Byleth chuckled, taking a sip from her black tea. “Oh Freya, seven years pass and you still have trouble calling me by my name? You’re even worse than El.” She claimed, Freya blushed and scratched her shoulder.

“But anyway, yes there was something I was curious about,” She paused to take a sip of tea.

“How do you know you’re a woman?”

Freya leaned back in her seat, taking a deep breath of thought, and holding her chin, Byleth sensed the sudden change and quickly added. “What I mean to ask is, what things in your life make you feel that way?”

“Well… if I had to put it all down to one thing, it just… feels right.”

Byleth furrowed her brow, “So did it feel… bad? Beforehand?” She asked to clarify, Freya beginning to look at her somewhat concerningly.

“No, I felt fine before, this is just… well… better, more right, more proper for me, I think.”

Freya reached over the table and rubbed the back of Byleth’s hand, she seemed to be in very deep thought. “Is something troubling you, Byleth?” Freya asked, putting on a smile.

The Empress wasn’t really sure, she knew she felt fine, but for as long as she could remember, Byleth had always taken comments about her appearance and femininity for granted, with said comments barely registered with her. Byleth liked it when friends and family complimented her, but being called things like ‘pretty lady’ just generated a blank in her mind, ladies sounded to her like Edelgard and Dorothea, but her? She just didn’t feel that way.

“Nothing too much,” Byleth stated, taking another sip of tea. “I was just curious about something and wanted your opinion.”

She stood up and stretched her arms a bit, riding the shirt Byleth was wearing up her roughly six old month baby swell until the hem was just past her belly button. “When you look at me, Freya, who do you see? What do I make you think of?”

“Well, lots of things…” Freya drummed her fingers together, trying to come up with all the rights words to answer the odd question. “I see my Professor, the Empress, a caring parent, and a great friend.” They both smiled by the end, and Byleth sat back down after finishing her stretches.

“And… none of those specifically identify me as a woman?”

The Archduke raised an eyebrow, “Is that a problem? I mean, I guess ‘Empress’ sort of implies feminine-”

“But Edelgard goes by ‘Emperor’”

Freya continued, “Well, yes, I was just, is this what’s bothering you? Not being thought of as a woman, like me?”

Byleth laughed softly, rubbing her nose, “No, Freya, nothing’s bothering me, it’s just… for the longest time I’ve never put any thought into people’s thoughts about me along those lines, I’ve always just tried to be myself, however I felt.”

She finished the rest of her tea and poured another cup, then adding. “Before I uh, ‘grew up’ I looked quite boyish, and people I met often treated me as such, but I never cared, it never bothered me, and nothing changed once people started treating me as a girl.”

“I guess I’ve always thought of myself as ‘just Byleth,’ and that’s how I like people to view me as.”

“Just Byleth?” Freya clarified.

“Yeah, is that bad?”

The orange cavalier shook her head vociferously, “I think that’s perfectly mature and valid, Byleth, and if anyone gives you trouble over it then they can deal with me!”

They both laughed again, “Thank you Freya,” Byleth graced, “I knew talking to you would help clear my mind.”

The Archduke beat her chest and bowed slightly, “Glad I could be of assistance, your Majesty.”

Later that afternoon Byleth was lying in bed reading a story to her curious son Jeralt, so deep into his happy giggles and gurgles that she never noticed her wife enter the bedroom and say hello to her several times. “By!” Edelgard called out, adding a little shove to her partner’s shoulder, which finally got both of their attention.

“Oh! El! Sorry, guess I lost track of time, done already?” Jeralt held out his hands toward her mom as Edelgard reached over and picked him up. “Done early, actually, so I have even more time to cuddle with you.” She smiled, and carefully sat in bed next to Byleth.

“My day was pretty uneventful, but I had a nice chat with Freya near the end, how about you?”

Jeralt curled into Edelgard’s arms as she reached over to kiss Byleth’s cheek, “Boring, but quick. What did you and the Prime Minister discuss?”

“Oh, nothing very important, I was just curious about a few things and wanted her opinion.” Byleth dismissed, but her wife’s ever curious gaze revealed that she still wanted to know the specifics, so she went through the entire conversation bit by bit.

“I see,” Edelgard nuzzled up to Byleth’s cheek, their son letting out a small yawn. “Is there anything you’d like me to do differently? Anything that would make you more comfortable?”

“No, nothing at all, El, like I said, I was just curious, so as long as you’re ok with how I feel, that’s all that matters.”

Edelgard sealed the question with a loving kiss upon Byleth’s lips. “I love you, By.”

“Love you too, El, thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Partially based off a friend of mine from the Three Houses Twitter RP verse.


End file.
